Comparison

Mancala. vs Gradient Games

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Mancala.

Experience Mancala, an ancient strategy board game. Move marbles counter-clockwise, aiming to collect the most in your home hole. Enjoy a classic game of skill and foresight.

Highlights
  • Ancient board game gameplay
  • Counter-clockwise marble movement
  • Strategic home hole collection
  • Simple rules, deep strategy
  • Single-player game
Read full description

Mancala (also known as Kalah) is an ancient board game. Pick up marbles from any of bottom holes and move them counter-clockwise. If your move ends at your home hole (right one) you can move again. The game ends when all six holes on either side are empty. The winner is the player with the most marbles in home hole.

About

Gradient Games

Enjoy a collection of simple, vibrant board games playable on a single device. Challenge friends to local multiplayer matches with included titles like chess, reversi, and checkers. Customize your game experience with theme creation and sharing.

Highlights
  • Simple, colorful board game collection
  • Create and share custom themes
  • Local multiplayer on the same device
  • Includes chess, reversi, and checkers
  • Challenge friends
Read full description

Gradient Games is a simple, colorful board game collection where you can create and share themes! Challenge friends to local games on the same device. Currently includes chess, reversi, and checkers.

Screenshots

Mancala.4 screens
Gradient Games4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Gradient Games at none against Mancala.'s 11. Gradient Games also leads on review sentiment (100% vs 80%). Mancala.'s advantage is chart position (#115 vs unranked) and update cadence (every 2 months vs every 4 months). On price, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Mancala. sells 10 one-off in-app purchases. Gradient Games asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Mancala. ships an update every 2 months, Gradient Games every 4 months. The most recent releases landed on October 15, 2026 and October 2, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 5 level
Mancala. versus Gradient Games: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterMancala.Gradient Games
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.7 (37K ratings) — better—
Positive reviews79.8% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings37K — better—
Update frequencyEvery 2 months — betterEvery 4 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
Best chart rank#115 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple TViPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple TV
Requires iOS12.4 — better26.0
Further details — not scored
Size85 MB5 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperSergey SkosyrevSamuel McBroom

Customer experience

Mancala.

All ratings36,514 ratings
Positive93.4%
Neutral4.0%
Negative2.5%
Written reviews545 reviews
Positive79.8%
Neutral8.6%
Negative11.6%

Gradient Games

Written reviews1 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Bugs and requests

Mancala.

Reported bugs

2 issues
  • Hint button not working properly
  • Peg solitaire mode has unsolvable levels

Requested features

5 requests
  • Multiplayer mode
  • Difficulty settings for AI
  • Earn in-game currency through gameplay
  • More single-player modes and puzzles
  • Clearer in-app instructions and rules

Gradient Games

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

10 purchases

Mancala.

One-time10
  • 50 diamonds$1.99
  • 55 diamonds$1.99
  • 90 diamonds$2.99
Show 7 more
  • Advanced Features$4.99
  • 150 diamonds$4.99
  • Avalanche Advanced Features$4.99
  • 145 diamonds$4.99
  • 180 diamonds$6.99
  • 350 diamonds$9.99
  • 750 diamonds$19.99
None

Gradient Games

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Mancala. free?
Mancala. is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Gradient Games free?
Gradient Games is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Mancala. or Gradient Games have ads?
Neither Mancala. nor Gradient Games shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Mancala. or Gradient Games?
Mancala. ships an update every 2 months, and Gradient Games every 4 months. Most recently, Mancala. was updated on October 15, 2026 and Gradient Games on October 2, 2026.

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